Celebrating all the yummy goodness of Ghana: its people, its culture and its [far reaching] influences

Monday, 15 June 2009

Food: Ghanaian Coconuts and more at Waitrose

Blue Skies' workersBlue Skies Ghana was founded in 1997 and started production early in 1998 with only 35 employees. The company now employs over 1000 people and supports a wide network of farmers and their communities. The factory is located at Dobro near to the town of Nsawam and specialises in cutting and packing fresh fruit which it exports to Europe..................Blue Skies is built upon a culture of fairness in business, respect for each other and trust. The company believes that care for its people breeds care for its fruit which in turn fosters a natural respect for the environment and the communities where it operates. In 2008 Blue Skies was awarded with a Queens Award for Enterprise for its approach to Sustainable Development and became the first company in the world to receive LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) accreditation for a group of farmers. www.caretrace.com

I love shopping at Waitrose. It's not just the whole, 'chichi lifestyle' thing they have going on at Waitrose, but just how supportive they are of farmers from around the world. I buy their Fairtrade certified -Ghanaian coconuts, pineapples and mangoes -and they are delicious. Along with many items like Kenyan coffee and butter beans from China, -Waitrose are leading the way in fair and ethical trading -and helping third world farmers. And via their, Caretrace website -I know more about the the people who prepare these yummy fruits -like, Daniel Amaadi -a farm manager at Anamo Farms. He supplies pineapples from his 110 acre farm -situated near to the village of Dumpong. He is married with 8 children. Or, Yaw Issaka from Abor in Ghana. He has been farming for 20 years. He grows sugarloaf pineapple for the Blue Skies Organic Collective (BSOC), which is a Fairtrade association of more than 78 farmers who work in the Central Region of Ghana. Yaw is 47 years old and is married with 6 children. You can find out more about the farmers and workers -who supply Waitrose at: http://www.caretrace.com.

Search This Blog

Disclaimer: The photographs do not belong to me (except the ones I personally shot.) The photographs are used for commenting purpose only. None of the photographs are used for commercial gains unless specified by myself.